Steve Spurrier: Players don't realize the Gatorade bath isn't fun

Posted by: Chris Vannini on Thursday December 19, 2013

It took a year, but Steve Spurrier’s revenge plot has been set in motion.

South Carolina’s coach said bowl preparation hasn’t changed much throughout his time in college football, but one thing has changed: You get the Gatorade bath if you win.

A year ago, the Gamecocks defeated Michigan in a last-second win in the Outback Bowl, and Spurrier got the ice water bath, something he did not enjoy.

“The importance now is change for all of us, change for all college coaches. It’s usually the only game they hit you with the Gatorade or ice water bucket,” Spurrier said Wednesday. “By the way, I got (Kyle) Fleetwood back today. I got one of the two that hit me. The players got a big kick out of that. He was taking a knee during special teams. I got Fleetwood. I’ve got to get Kelcy Quarles. He’s next in line. He’s watching me everywhere I go, now. It will be tough to get Kelcy.

“I got one of the two today with a little container of ice. It wasn’t that big. It was big enough that I could life it. He was on a knee watching the punt or something. I got him pretty good. The players realize it’s not all that fun when you get hit with that thing. Ever been hit with one? It’s not fun, unless you’re expecting it. If you’re expecting it, you get your gortex on, ‘Alright, hit me.’ When they got it, it comes all the way down the visor and the hat. It took a while to get out.

“But that’s OK. … You notice some coaches say, ‘You can hit me in the back, but don’t hit my hair.’ There are some of those out there. You’ve probably seen those coaches that don’t get hit in the hair. (Nick Saban) got hit with the bucket and the stuff one year. They only hit him on the shoulder, usually, now. That’s the bowl game. That’s the importance of it.”

Chris Vannini is in his fifth year with CoachingSearch.com and serves as its managing editor. He has previously written for the Detroit Free Press, The Oakland Press, The State News, MLive.com, 247Sports and SB Nation. A graduate of Michigan State University, Chris now lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Be sure to follow @coachingsearch and send emails to chris@coachingsearch.com.